The Daughters' War

By: Christopher Buehlman

Narrated by: Nikki Garcia

Enter the fray in this luminous new adventure from Christopher Buehlman, set during the war-torn, goblin-infested years just before The Blacktongue Thief.

The goblins have killed all of our horses and most of our men.

They have enslaved our cities, burned our fields, and still they wage war.

Now, our daughters take up arms.

Galva—Galvicha to her three brothers, two of whom the goblins will kill—has defied her family’s wishes and joined the army’s untested new unit, the Raven Knights. They march toward a once-beautiful city overrun by the goblin horde, accompanied by scores of giant war corvids. Made with the darkest magics, these fearsome black birds may hold the key to stopping the goblins in their war to make cattle of mankind.

The road to victory is bloody, and goblins are clever and merciless. The Raven Knights can take nothing for granted—not the bonds of family, nor the wisdom of their leaders, nor their own safety against the dangerous war birds at their side. But some hopes are worth any risk.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

©2024 Christopher Buehlman (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Buehlman has a real gift for writing complicated, endearing characters trying to do their best in a complicated, fully lived-in world. I can’t wait for his next book.”—Kelly Link, bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Get in Trouble

“Christopher Buehlman’s worldbuilding is second-to-none, so grimly evocative it feels like the worst parts of history in the best possible way. Galva’s story is full of heartbreak and despair, but its darkness is balanced by exquisitely-crafted moments that explore the bonds of friendship, sisterhood, and love that endure despite the soul-shattering horrors of war.”—Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld

“Thrilling. . . Series fans looking for insight into Buehlman’s badass heroine’s psyche will want to check this out.”—Publishers Weekly

A Worthy Prequel

I fell unexpectedly in love with the world, heroes and monsters we met in The Blacktongue Thief and couldn’t get wait to see more of them. In fact, it became the first audiobook I listened to more than once in its entirety (3 times), so I had built up a lot of internal hype for this prequel and it delivered.

I was concerned that seeing more of the goblins might make them lose some of their horror, but seeing them on campaign against humanity (sorry, kynd) made them an even more satisfying evil. Ultimately, Galva’s story is as epic as it needed to be, and was exactly what I wanted. I’m ready for the next one!

*NOTE: there’s a small issue with the audiobook. The narrator kills it, but a few short lines of dialogue fell off (I’m guessing in editing/mixing). I noticed it in chapters 40 and 41, and then once or twice elsewhere later on. It’s literally like 5 words in total, so you won’t lose the story at all, it’s just a touch jarring in a performance that is so worthy of the story! Hopefully the publisher can shore it up.

A powerful tale

Such a roller coaster of emotions as you’re transported through this epic tale. One of the best I’ve ever read, then listed to from an amazingly talented reader.

as a whole this is brilliant

the reader's performance is subtle & exquisite. The accent she created deserves a Grammy for audio performance.

A good fantasy war story

I enjoyed the main character and that she cherished those small moments of joy in her life. War is hell but war with goblins is darker than hell, it’s bleak and nightmarish. It was full of depressing sadness and loss and horrific terrors. I wanted to stop listening but I could not.

Unmatched worldbuilding and character depth

I LOVED The Blacktongued Thief and knew Galva's story would not disappoint. I loved CB's narration in TBT but there is something special about hearing Galva's voice in a true female tone. TDW was an amazing read and an even better listen. Fantastic pacing and delivery. Everything I could've hoped for and more. Nikki Garcia wasn't the Galva I asked for but gratefully the one I needed. SO GOOD.

Sad/beautiful/ not the book I expected to follow The Blacktongue Thief

So in the end, The book was such a beautiful story. It was sad, but pertinent to the current storyline. At first, I didn’t like the narrator, but her use of the languages really became charming and important as the protagonist. After The Blacktongue Thief, i expected some humor and lightheartedness. this book really didn’t have that. It is a harrowing tale of the war. Of which, definitely has its place. in the end I loved it and it made me cry. It was beautiful. One small lame complaint. I wish the singing in the book had been done in a more old style rather than a newer, contemporary singing style. But really a minor thing.

Excellent audio book

Chris Buehlman is an excellent writer with a fantastic imagination. Both The Black Tongue thief and the Daughters War are excellent books and the only drawback I can find is that I have to wait for the third book of the series

Brilliant. Haunting.

Note to production team: some dialogue missing in chapter 41

A well-written story with great narration.

Don't expect black tongue Thief part 2

first of all, I really like this book even though it wasn't at all what I was expecting. secondly, I would give it the full five stars but the audio book was frustratingly incomplete. there was whole segments of audio that just weren't rendered through or that they forgot to include. especially annoying in pivotal scenes like the siege of a city where they would say "and the commander ordered: " And then there would be like 8 seconds of silence followed by the aftermath of the event. like I feel like I missed something pretty pivotal right there...

like I said, this was probably most present in the two climactic battle scenes which was just maddening but there were snippets of this throughout the book. If they fix this and I can actually hear the book in full I would definitely give it the full five stars...

as it stands, the book is definitely not what I expected out of black tongue thief series, but it totally makes sense for what it is since you're following a totally different character with a completely different narration theme and style.

It's not a fun rogish romp through the woods like the first book, this is a much darker, much more sober and somber grim and horrifying recollection of events from someone who isn't the thick of everything and came out with more mental wounds than physical. It's definitely dark, it's definitely traumatic, is definitely leaning way further on horror and especially body horror, as much of the book revolves around The main conflict between the goblins and the kin, a big part of which is that humans are livestock.

so it's got a lot of butchery of people and it definitely doesn't shy away from the details.

that said, the biggest elements of the story in terms of narrative follow along the interpersonal conflicts of Galva with her family, and her extremely complicated romantic network, which definitely paints her as a much more complex character than the "humorless spanth" She gets stamped as in the first book. of course you got a lot of hints that she's much more complicated to begin with, but this book really hammers in exactly the crucible she went through to become who she is in the primary series.

overall, it's brutal, it's dark, it's also very lovely at times with the author's signature beautiful, romantic prose, and thematic elements that borrow a lot from European culture and lore which goes with the dark fantasy elements quite masterfully.

It is a slow burn, and I'm not exactly sure when the book absolutely hooked me in. I think I power through it because of my love for the first book, but I don't regret it at all because by the end I was definitely captivated. You might not feel yourself being pulled the same way through, but I would definitely recommend finishing it and saving the reflection until your end. It feels like the book is vastly greater than the sum of its parts for some reason.

I think a big part of why I say that is because as a prequel you generally feel like prequels are stories that really didn't need to be told... some things are better left to the imagination... But I think this does a healthy and competent job of being its own standalone in a completely different theme from the Black tongue thief.

once you accept that this is not the same book, it's not trying to be the same book, and the character, though stoic and honest, is telling a very one-sided war tail from her own perspective, it suddenly becomes a lot more interesting in its own regard.

I recommend it, check it out.

Brutal and Beautiful World Building

I'm a fan of this author. I have a bias. That being said the world this book and the previous book are set in have captured my imagination. I was looking forward to this for a very long time and I'm not disappointed. Some other reviews express disappointment... I think The Blacktongue thief was funny. It was a narrative from a different character with a different story to tell. This book was about Galva and I found the action and imagery awesome and terrible. The goblins aren't just "bad" like in a Tolkien novel, they are horrific. Buehlman is a fantastic horror writer and mixing this high fantasy with his brand of horror is a powerful combination. My only regret is now we need to wait for the next entry.